Winter breeds black roses
in a soul stripped of warmth.
Darkness broods in isolation
begrudging the probing light.
Tar flows in sullen veins
fills in the spaces
wounds had carved. Hands grasp
at brittle sunbeams
that cold had made sharp.
Flowers fall into the ground
marking the spot where hope once stood.
Stars blink out of the firmament
tolling distant bells.
~~~~~
Inspired by the Florida shooting, linked with DVerse’s Poetics: Finding Emotions and Concepts in Things
MY WALL 
Moving poetry in such sad times, Imelda. We were on a similar wavelength this week….
Thanks, Jane. 🙂
Lovely words
Thank you. 🙂
Poignant and deeply moving. Such sad times. I find your words comforting.
‘Stars blink out of the firmament…’ speaks to me of how far reaching this event has been. Internally and into the universe.
Thanks, Arati. 🙂
I liked how you described the ideas of isolation and brooding darkness and its consequences.
Thanks, Frank. 🙂
Wow, those brittle sunbeams… I feel the slow, slow motion of the dark night of the soul reading this outstanding poem.
Thanks, Amaya. That is quite an accurate description of what this piece is about – the darkness in the soul soul of the individual and the soul of society as a whole.
Just beautiful, Imelda. Dark days indeed, both the winter gloom and the sadness of the heart.
Thanks, Sarah. 🙂
I like tar filling the wounds.
🙂 Thanks, Sabra, for reading.
Sadness and darkness, made me think of death, with the sounds of those tolling bells ~
elimination… extinction, destruction
Yeah.. in a way, it is about society people self destructing. AH, how bleak. Thank you for reading. 🙂
Bitterness…
It is indeed about bitterness and all sort of darkness swirling in the human soul. 🙂
As the others have said, this poem takes on a sombre tone. In the darkest times sometimes it feel like all is lost, even the brittle sunbeams you mentioned we can’t even catch or feel – and all around us we see and feel darkness and loss. Lovely photo to go along with your words as usual. Looks like it’s Spring for you in your part of the world. Hope it gets warmer soon 🙂
Sometimes, what happens in the world, with people, can make one, and society/the world itself, a bit helpless and despondent.
Spring’s well on its way, it just had a little wintry storm hiccup. But the bulbs are starting to pop out. 🙂
Have a great weekend, Mabel. 🙂